The present invention relates to a network management system for managing a network. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method, apparatus and computer program for allowing management of a network by use of network equipment, being managed on the network by a network management system, by preferentially displaying partial information related to the network equipment that is required for network management on the network equipment.
Generally, a network management system for collecting management information from each of plural network equipment existing in a network and storing the management information in the network management system is used for managing a network. Information required for network management including the collected management information is displayed by the network management system. Particularly, the network management information being displayed includes a configuration of the network being managed in the form of a map in which the network is schematically shown.
A network is divided into hierarchies such as geographical classification, management classification and detailed information and is displayed in the form of a map having a plurality of hierarchical levels as described on pages 60 to 65 in "Hewlet-Packard Journal", April 1990. Such is performed so that a manager can readily grasp a large-scale complicated network configuration at an instant. A technique for changing displayed contents of a configuration according to a manager in consideration of a case that a network management system is used by plural managers is disclosed in Japanese published unexamined patent application No. 7-312596. A technique for enabling an arbitrary computer except a network management system, to access the same contents as contents displayed by the network management system utilizing a web browser is disclosed on pages 38 and 39 in "Nikkei Computer" Nov. 11, 1996 as a type of network management in the environment of an Internet/intranetwork. However, in such a technique, a web browser which can access only one screen at a time cannot access plural maps simultaneously when, for example, in case a network management system displays a map for each hierarchy level. Thus, there is a problem that the display of a network configuration using a web browser is difficult to grasp. The utilization of a web browser allows network equipment which is managed by a network management system, to access the same contents displayed by the network management system and to execute network management.
For a user who executes network management via network equipment which is managed by a network management system may be either an end user or a manager. However, an end user often requires partial information related to the managed network equipment being used of information required for network management. Similarly, a manager may also require partial information related to the managed networks equipment being used. Such partial information is not supplied. Thus, a user who uses managed equipment is required to find the partial information related to the managed equipment being used. That is, the user must find partial information corresponding to the same contents as that displayed by a network management system. However, as the information volume of contents displayed by a network management system is enormous, the operation to find such partial information is very burdensome.
In conventional apparatus disclosed in Japanese published unexamined patent application No. 7-312596, only a change in the displayed contents performed by a manager at for example, a network management system which manages network equipment on a network are effected. Thus, when a manager executes network management via a managed network equipment on the network the contents of the display are not changed.